Assessment of student work and resulting grades are the purview and responsibility of the instructor(s) of the course.
In order to ensure the integrity of academic records, instructors are also responsible for submitting grades to the university’s relevant system of record. Processes and timelines to record grades are highly structured to support student academic progress, eligibility for financial aid and degree completion.
The semester-based academic calendar provides students, faculty and staff with important dates and deadlines.
Instructors can view their course section roster in Workday. If they notice any errors, such as students registered for an incorrect section (more likely to happen with sections not using Canvas to collect assignments), it should be reported to the impacted student and a department administrator as quickly as possible.
- View a course section roster.
- Grading for semester-based courses opens approximately two weeks before the term ends. Grading for shorter courses opens on the last day of the course.
Final grades are posted via a two-step process: entering grades into the system, followed by approval to post to students’ records.
Instructors of record must enter and/or approve final grades. For sections with multiple instructors of record, all have access to enter and/or approve final grades in Workday and should coordinate which instructor is handling grading (entirely or for specific students).
Instructional support persons, if they are graduate students or staff, may enter final grades but cannot approve them.
Undergraduate instructional support persons cannot view grade rosters, nor enter or approve final grades.
Midterm grades, called “Interim” grades in Workday, may be submitted by instructors or instructional support persons, if they are graduate students or staff.
Final grades can be entered in one of three ways, all of which are followed by instructor approval:
- Manual entry in Workday
- CSV file upload into Workday
- Push from Canvas gradebook into Workday (Details Coming Soon).
The following deadlines are established to ensure student performance can be evaluated in a timely manner for academic progress and standing, financial aid eligibility and degree conferral. Students’ degrees cannot be conferred if any grades are missing.
- Final grades for full semester courses are due by 12 p.m. (noon) on the Monday following the end of the semester.
- Final grades for Half A, Half B and “short” courses are due one week following the end of the period.
- Final grades for Law courses are due on the Friday four weeks after the end of finals.
In Workday, the final grade assignment period will close at the deadline.
| Academic Period | Grade Rosters Open | Final Grades Due |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | December 1, 2025 | December 22, 2025, Noon |
| Fall 2025 Half A | October 13, 2025 | October 27, 2025, Noon |
| Fall 2025 Half B | December 8, 2025 | December 22, 2025, Noon |
| Fall 2025 Intersession | August 21, 2025 | December 22, 2025, Noon* |
Instructors who do not submit and approve some or all final grades on their course section roster by the deadline will be unable to access those students’ grade records while N (No Grade Reported) grade notations are applied. Once that process is complete, instructors may access the Change Student Grade for Student Course Registration task to request to change each N grade to a final grade, or make any necessary changes to previously submitted grades.
Students follow the grade rules of their program of study when registered in other schools’ or programs’ courses. As a result, when filing interim or final grades, instructors will see different quality or pass/no pass values available for students. The grade roster will indicate the grading scheme in use for each student. If there are questions when making a grade assignment, contact the relevant school.
Certain changes to available grades were approved during the implementation of Workday. Note that Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory is discontinued; Pass/Fail and CR/NCR have shifted to Pass/No Pass and the term “credit” is replaced with Quality Grading (to denote quality GPA points are assigned.
| Type | Grades | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Graded | A+ – F | Brown, Public Health omit D grades |
| Pass/No Pass | P, NP | Brown, Law, Graduate Olin include High Pass and Low Pass |
| Audit | L, Z | CAPS includes Special Audit |
| Numeric | 4.3-2.5 | Law Only |
| Competency | Competent/Not Competent | Doctor of Medicine Only |
Instructors may need to propose a change to a posted grade:
- To correct a calculation error/update after a grade appeal
- To file a final grade to replace an incomplete (I)
- To file a final grade to replace an N notation (no grade reported/missed grading deadline)
Grade changes may be made for a limited time after a semester ends directly in Workday by instructors, by using the Change Student Grade for Student Course Registration. If a grade change is proposed after the deadline a “Change of Grade” request form (Coming Soon) must be submitted to present the change for approval by the school offering the course.
All grades must be finalized before students can graduate, since records are sealed upon graduation and no changes can be made. Please contact the Office of the University Registrar with questions.
Midterm grades, called “interim” grades in Workday, can be assigned at any point during the semester. Instructors are encouraged to record midterm grades for undergraduates, particularly first-year students, or any students whose performance raises concern about their ability to earn a passing final grade in the course, no later than the Monday of week 9 of the semester to assist advisors and students.
Instructors may assign incomplete grades in Workday. They should be familiar with the incomplete policies in their school or program, which may include guidelines such as student eligibility for incomplete grades, “lapse” policies about how long an incomplete may remain on a student’s record before it becomes a final failing grade, and impact to academic standing.
When selecting an incomplete grade in the Workday grade roster, instructors will be required to include a comment, which should address the nature of the academic work outstanding, and a due date by which it is to be completed. Students can view the comment and due date submitted.
The window of time allowed by school or program policy is the maximum time allowed, and indicates the date by which final grades must be submitted and posted. Instructors may establish earlier deadlines for students to submit outstanding work; they should allow enough time so they can evaluate and submit a grade prior to when the incomplete will lapse.
Incomplete grades must be resolved no later than the deadline listed below:
- Traditional undergraduate students: 120 days after the end of the semester
- A&S graduate students: 120 days after the end of the semester
- Brown School, Olin graduate students, School of Public Health: 60 days after the grading deadline
- CAPS students and McKelvey PhD students: one year after the grading deadline
- Law and McKelvey master’s students: the end of the following full semester.
Instructors may submit a final grade via the Change Student Grade for Student Course Registration task in Workday for a limited amount of time after the semester ends. If they propose a grade change after they can no longer do so themselves in Workday, they must file a “Change of Grade” request form (Coming Soon).